The Theme of Love in Donne's "The Sun Rising" and Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18"

The Theme of Love in Donne's "The Sun Rising" and Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18"

The theme of love, though common throughout many genres of poetry, can be discussed using many different approaches.   Variance in form, structure and imagery presented within a poem allows the author to convey his or her own views on the theme, and dictates the readers’ reaction to the poem.   Both John Donne’s “The Sun Rising”, and William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” are very good examples of how varying styles of writing can convey a common theme.   In his poem, Donne utilizes a metaphysical approach to relay his views on love, while Shakespeare uses the classical sonnet form to express his.   The different styles used to express love in these two poems allow the readers an insight into the authors’ mind.   Thus, the manner in which the authors’ have chosen to present their poems makes each poem distinct unto its author.      
The differing form for each author’s poem is an extension of the author’s approach to conveying the theme of love.   Donne’s less conventional form used within his poem parallels his metaphysical approach to writing, while contrasting Shakespeare’s use of the stylized sonnet form and conventional old English approach.   The form of both “Sonnet 18” and “The Sun Rising” imparts a pleasant and flowing experience to the poem and lend a concise nature to both authors’ thoughts on love.  
The structure of both poems reflects on the author’s approach to love.   Shakespeare, in the typical fashion of a sonnet, makes his argument to the reader in the first twelve lines of the sonnet and then sums up his thoughts in the final couplet of the sonnet.   In a similar fashion, Donne makes his assertions about love known in the first two stanzas and then, in the final stanza, captures the essence of his feelings.   Another similarity found in their structures is that neither poem is heavy with alliteration or assonance, even though this is in stark contrast with the usual sonnet style.
Although similar in some ways, these two poems differ in the structure of...